Two days after California voters passed Proposition 8 to prohibit same-sex marriage, three appeals to the state supreme court have been filed, pitting the rights of gays and lesbians against the will of the voters. Also, increased taxes and spending cuts on the California horizon, and Proposition 11 may survive with a razor-thin margin.

FROM THIS EPISODE

Only two days after California voters passed Proposition 8 to prohibit same-sex marriage, three appeals to the state supreme court have been filed, pitting the rights of gays and lesbians against the will of the voters. We hear about legal efforts to make same-sex marriage illegal again. Also, increased taxes and spending cuts on the California horizon, and Proposition 11 may survive with a razor-thin margin. We hear how reformers plan to build on non-partisan legislative reapportionment.

California's budget shortfall could rise to $24 billion 18 months from now. Governor Schwarzenegger has called a special legislative session to head that off with what he calls "drastic measures." They include cuts to schools and reductions of vital services, and significant increases in taxes. Evan Halper reports from Sacramento for the Los Angeles Times.

By gerrymandering their own district boundaries, Democrats and Republicans in the Assembly and Senate have guaranteed that legislative seats almost never change from parties. Proposition 11 would give the job to a bi-partisan citizens' commission. This is the first step toward real reform of state government, but it's still not clear if it passed. Jim Mayer is executive director of California Forward, a bipartisan group promoting reform.

The state constitution promises equal protection to all Californians. Last summer, the State Supreme Court ruled that means same-sex couples can legally marry. On Tuesday, the voters passed Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriage by amending the constitution—or did it? Yesterday, three separate lawsuits were filed, contending that Prop 8 was not an amendment at all but an illegal revision.